China warns of war over $11.1 billion US weapons package for Taiwan
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China has condemned the US for approving a massive $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, warning that the deal risks turning the island into a “powder keg” and plunging the region into “military conflict and war”.
The unprecedented sale includes 82 HIMARS launchers paired with 420 ATACMS long-range missiles, as well as 60 self-propelled howitzers, advanced UAV systems, military software packages and anti-armor weapons, a combination that will give Taiwan new deep strike capability across the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing accused Taiwan’s leadership of “seeking independence by force” and claimed that Washington was using the island to “contain China”; This rhetoric points to rising tensions even as the United States frames the package as necessary to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense.
“The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces on the island seek independence by force and resist reunification by force, squandering the people’s hard-earned money on purchasing weapons, at the expense of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.
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Taiwanese soldiers monitor Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s visit to a military base in Taichung. (SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)
“This cannot save the inevitable fate of ‘Taiwan independence’, but will only accelerate the Taiwan Strait’s march towards a dangerous state of military conflict and war. US support for ‘Taiwan Independence’ through arms will only backfire. Using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed,” he added.
U.S. officials have not yet detailed delivery timelines, but the sale reflects Washington’s effort to step up Taiwan’s defense at a time when concerns are growing about China’s military pressure campaign. The HIMARS-ATACMS combination is expected to attract particular attention from Beijing because it will allow Taiwan to target PLA staging areas, ships and infrastructure from mobile launchers; It’s a capability that China has warned about repeatedly.
The proposed sales “will advance the national, economic, and security interests of the United States by supporting the recipient’s efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defense capability,” the State Department said in its notice to Congress. The ministry added that the weapons “will help increase the recipient’s security and help maintain political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region.”
Under long-standing US policy, Washington maintains its “One China” policy and does not support a formal declaration of independence, while providing Taiwan with weapons it deems necessary for the island’s self-defense. China argues that any improvements to Taiwan’s defenses encourage separatism, while U.S. officials say the purpose of such sales is to maintain stability and deter conflict.
China has condemned the US for approving a massive $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, warning that the deal risks turning the island into a “powder keg” and plunging the region into “military conflict and war”. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)
The latest sale marks a significant increase in Taiwan’s conventional firepower at a time when Beijing is intensifying pressure on the strait. (Daniel Ceng/AP Photo)
HIGH RISKS ON THE HIGH SEAS AS US AND CHINA TEST THE LIMITS OF MILITARY POWER
The package now enters a 30-day congressional review period, during which lawmakers can introduce a resolution to block the package; This is a step Congress has never taken regarding arms sales to Taiwan. Once the review period ends, contracting and production begin; this process often spans several years and adds to a backlog that once reached $20 billion of undelivered U.S. weapons that Taiwan has already purchased.
China has a history of responding to Taiwan’s major arms sales with military demonstrations, including large-scale PLA exercises, increased air and naval activity near the island and sanctions on U.S. defense firms. Analysts say Beijing’s sharp rhetoric suggests additional military signaling is likely, but China did not immediately announce specific countermeasures.
The latest sale marks a significant increase in Taiwan’s conventional firepower. In recent months, Beijing has stepped up pressure on the strait with almost daily PLA air and sea patrols, record attacks around the island and high-profile drills signaling its ability to encircle Taiwan.
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Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung on Wednesday thanked the United States for its “long-term support for regional security and Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities” and said they were key to deterring a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
